


maybe the world isn't as bad with you in it, love

by wowieashie



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Cafes, Fluff, I LEFT IT TO THE LAST MINUTE, I PROMISED MYSELF TO WRITE A FIC BEFORE CHRISTMAS, M/M, Seungmin gets really nervous, TWO MINUTES TIL CHRISTMAS DO THIS LATER, WHAT DO YOU PUT IN TAGS, this is rushed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-26 20:56:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17148956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wowieashie/pseuds/wowieashie
Summary: seungmin's been feeling okay. but that's pretty much it, especially after quitting his job. naturally, he goes to his favorite cafe.and then he meets hyunjin.





	maybe the world isn't as bad with you in it, love

**Author's Note:**

> HI ITS ALMOST CHRISTMAS 6 MINUTES ACTUALLY ILL PROOFREAD THIS LATER BUT I LOVE YOU ALL HAPPY HOLIDAYS

everyday, on the corner of two streets ironically named allay Avenue and peace parkway, you would usually see a teenage boy bustling past the usual foot traffic. book bag and folders in hand he would resemble a bullet finding its target. his grasses would lay crooked on his nose, fluffy hair blowing in the wind, and papers flapping sporadically every time a gust of wind arrived, he was one of the familiar sights of this corner. this upcoming winter, however, was different. instead, kim seungmin would be focusing on getting his coffee order right. not one of his superiors for those who worked at the esteemed company, sm, during, one of the worst jobs seungmin has ever had, during this past year. 

the day was chilly with air nipping at the unprotected ears of those walking. still, the air had a sweet underlying scent to it as the boy strolled his way onto allay Avenue. his pace was slow and he looked, for the first time in months, what a regular teen his age would be expected to look. his eyes no longer bore bags and his tighter work appropriate clothing was exchanged for some old joggers and a yellow sweater. his contacts were in for a change instead of those thin framed glasses. (it didn't match at all but how was seungmin supposed to know what was in store for today?) it was just a quick trip to get some fast food. nothing fancy. it wasn’t supposed to be. today was a day for seungmin to reclaim his life, and the path he would take in life. afterall, winter is known as a time for recovery and preparation 

the tip if the boy's nose is tinged with red from the cold when he enters the shop. the miniature bell rings and seungmin is greeted with nostalgic scents, sights, and memories. it's been so long since I've gotten a proper meal from here. at another time in seungmin's life, he would be here everyday. not an exaggeration. but that was years ago and we're focusing on the new today. 

it's when seungmin gets in line he realizes. he sees the most casually beautiful, gorgeous, pretty, ethereal - jeesh seungmin! calm down, it's just a boy. seungmin feels a frown forming on his face. sure, it's been a while since seungmin had hung around people his age but shouldn't he recognize this beautiful boy? surely he hasn’t, you can't forget a guy like that. 

even though the new barista seemed like a foreign sight to the small cafe, it was like he was always a symbol of the cafe’s vibe. somewhere to unfurl, relax, and smile. like a home away from home. 

what is he doing? he needs to focus. he's getting closer and closer to the counter.. what was i gonna order again? iced coffee? his thoughts are discarded when he sees the lazy grin the boy casts in his direction. my direction? no, no. he probably is trying to ease the customers. there are so many customers. then, because the universe loves to fuck seungmin ove,r (in the best possible way) he is at the front of the line. 

the boy doesn’t even register the fact that the boy is talking to him. instead, his eyes trail to his name tag. Hyunjin, huh? the letters were curved. the i and j were decorated to look like flowers with the “H” acting as a tree. the boy still hadn’t stopped talking. is this the part in the movie where time stops and he magically becomes my destined love interest and then my hu- shut up, seungmin. order your coffee. we can't make him wait on you. (even though there was really no one behind him and the customers didn't seemed bother at all.) “so what’s your answer?” it was then when seungmin, poor, poor seungmin, realized “cafe boy,” no, hyunjin, was tilting his head, ears pink, and cheeky smile wiped on his face, patiently waiting for a response.  
before seungmin could stop the words from spilling out, his own voice decided to betray him. “i have no idea what you just said.”  
smooth.   
hyunjin looked taken aback for a second. his eyebrows quirked, seemingly searching for something on seungmin’s face. before the silence could consume them both, hyunjin broke out in a fit of a giggles. wow. he’s the most adorable squish i’ve ever seen.   
the boy began to full on shake with laughter, making seungmin thoroughly uncomfortable and fond. balling his hands into fists, the boy couldn’t anchor himself to stop the butterflies swirling in his stomach.   
“you’re too much, baby.” the barista was still red from laughing so much, a cute red blush settling on his features. seungmin couldn’t even focus on the new nickname instead feeling a wave of sickness rush upon him. don’t tell me i said that out loud…   
just in case, seungmin checked hyunjin for any sign that he still needed to work on shutting his mouth in the case he voiced his thoughts out loud (again). fortunately, the boy hadn’t seemed to show a reaction his gaze focused on the counter.   
Seungmin’s mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. the cafe’s lights seemed to be shining a little too bright. the younger took a peek outside. like he predicted, the first fluffy snowflakes seemed to taking their first apprehensive steps towards the sidewalk. i’m not going out. glancing back at the boy in front of him. 

“um...i haven’t decided on my order actually. i’ll be over there.” the boy’s voice shook on the last part, making him cringe even more. before the beautiful barista™ could respond,seungmin bolted to the furthest opentable, dumping his stuff down. the chair moved with a resounding screech, but seungmin couldn’t bring himself to care. he burrowed into his hoodie, hoping it would swallow him. it took seungmin a full five minutes to look back at the counter. hyunjin’s back was turned away from him, attention on tending to another customer's drink. the flurries were getting stronger; the world slightly blurry from the thin layer of ice on the windows. jesus christ. he remembers the quote from earlier. winter is a season of recovery and preparation. this trip to his favorite cafe was supposed to represent the change in path he took. what he has to prepare for in the future. how was he supposed to face the world when he couldn’t even face a dazzling face. the boy whimpered. he fell asleep next to thoughts of being alone. too lonely to face this world. 

when seungmin woke up, the cafe was significantly emptier. the boy lifted himself surveying his surroundings. the lights were dimmed (which he appreciated greatly) the lingering scent of peppermint filled his senses.. a red paper cup was placed in front of seungmin. it was cold to the touch which made the boy pout. was it meant for him? the slow music from earlier was replaced by the infamous mariah carey’s all i want for christmas is you. a smile tugged at seungmin’s lips. the cafe was much cozier, totally different from the open, chilly set up before. unconsciously, seungmin searched for the barista from earlier. please don’t tell me his shift ended.   
standing up, a search for the angel barista commenced. Now that the boy was fully awake, the cafe looked dramatically different from before, actually. fairy lights adorned the doorway. fake snow piled up on the counter next the register. there was even mistletoe above counter where you would order. still, there was no sight of the mysterious barista named hyunjin. giving up his mission, seungmin stubbornly picked up his stuff. unsure of what to do with the cold beverage, he picked it up, deciding to bring it with him. today was such a disaster… the day that was packed with possibilities now felt so desolate. the horrendous weather outside made seungmin dip down into his sadness more. winter for preparation my ass.   
as the the boy bid a farewell to a girl at the desk, (who’s name was also hyunjin, ironically. but, not the one he was looking for), a cool rush of air greeted seungmin. the snow crunched beneath his boots as he walked. most shops were still glowing with the remnants of life, now closing for the holidays. even with seungmin’s dampened mood, he had to admit the night looked beautiful. the tall buildings walled him in, but their brick fronts were still decorated with the flitting snowflakes making seungmin feel unusually okay.   
today was horrible. in fact, ever since seungmin got that “shadowing position” last summer, he’s finding he got a lot less “good days” and more “you survived” kind of days. maybe he could of been happy if he continued at the company, afterall, sm entertainment is known for its success with its workers. But, seungmin wasn’t really a business person. sure, when he was in junior year of high school he could go with it, as it seemed a secure path, but being put in sm made him think. and then he left his role as the boy who’s seeming running late in the stressful, long days of summer.

that being said, these cold, unfulfilled days of winter weren’t better. at the very least, seungmin was closer to his destination. in this part of the city, there was less towering buildings. the snow hugged the light posts, blanketed the spiky grass putting an entire suburb to sleep. the station greeted him across the street. 

careful to look both ways, seungmin crossed the road. the station was empty, as it is late at night on christmas eve, but still made something in seungmin’s skin crawl as he surveyed the area. everything was closed. there was only one other person in station. his face was masked paired with a dark hoodie. 

seungmin narrowed his eyes. i can’t tell if he’s edgy or shady. deciding to stay safe, gripped his bag tightly, keeping his posture stiff as he sat down. it felt good to sit down even if the hard, cod wood wasn’t an ideal spot to relax after one of the worst day’s seungmin has experienced. still, the boy gave in to his growing drowsiness and closed his eyes.   
today was horrible. the feelings of despair and embarrassment washed over seungmin once again. he kept replaying the encounter over and over as if it was something to agonize over. Its one day seungmin. not even something to worry about. but as the boy reran the moment in his brain over and over again, he couldn’t help but notice the way hyunjin’s eyes crinkled or his ringing laughter. seungmin couldn’t bring himself to regret one thing about the meeting.   
right?   
***

seungmin’s eyes flew open.   
“ah, hell!”  
the station remained the same as before. closed shops, creepy guy standing in the station, and no train present. checking his phone. seungmin saw that only 20 minutes had passed. thank the lord. 

said mysterious guy seemed completely unaffected by the sudden outburst, eyes glued to his phone. who even stays this late? the boy felt a little creeped out by the other’s presence but supposed he hadn’t been murdered or mugged in his sleep.  
now, where in the hell is the train? the unforgiving breeze snapped at his face. it was nearing 9:30, and the boy was beginning to think that he should call one of his friends to pick him up. standing up, seungmin felt something beside him fall. the drink had been abandoned at his feet. 

guilt had tore at seungmin’s heart; he shouldn’t treat a gift like this. if the drink was cold earlier, it felt like ice to the touch now. the boy wished he knew who did such as sweet gesture; he would have to repay them. picking up the cup from the floor, he examined the exterior carefully. a cartoon drawing of a snowman stared back at him. it was supposedly hot coco. upon taste, seungmin could confirm it was true. the drink left a sweet taste in his mouth. the boy felt his heart tighten even more. he could ask an employee tomorrow, that is, if he had the guts to show his face in that store anymore. 

the boy gave up unable to find any hint of identification on the cup. with a little limp in his step, he made him way to the trash can. Maybe..just maybe it was hyunjin. the boy looked so nice. as seungmin was about to release the cup into the abyss of the ratty trash can, he felt a warm, firm grip on his wrist. seungmin looked up to see the other guy from the station. 

“you!” the two boys chorused. staring back into seungmin’s gaze was the stunning barista. his warm brown eyes glittered with happiness as he gave seungmin a lopsided smile.   
“you’re the cutie from earlier!” his voice sounded like a melody to seungmin’s ears. He almost couldn’t believe that the figure was in front of him. 

despite the freezing weather, seungmin’s cheeks warmed at the nickname. hyunjin let go (unfortunately) instead rubbing his neck sheepishly.   
“i didn’t mean to scare you. my bad.”   
crinkled eyes.  
“but i as really bummed when didn’t get the chance to continue to talk to you.” the boy continued  
ringing laugh.  
“my shift ended, and honestly you looked like a cute little puppy sleeping.”  
warm blush.   
“man, this is something out of, like, those cheesy romance movies.”   
seungmin felt so utterly betrayed by the universe yet blessed. damn the universe! Your stupid ways!

unlike earlier, seungmin was able to respond with a coherent sentence.   
“honestly, i can’t believe it either. the odds, y’know” seungmin cringed as he heard the words tumble out of his mouth. hyunjin didn’t pay any mind to the other’s lack of skill in conversating.   
“i tried giving you a coffee though. i felt bad you didn’t really order.”   
oh. seungmin felt something flutter in his heart. so this drink is for me. and it is from hyunjin.   
lord, help seungmin. 

“you didn’t put your name on it though?” the boy’s gaze, which found itself drawn to his shoes (for some reason), looked back determined, if not a little annoyed, at the other.   
hyunjin’s eyebrows shot up as he took the cup out of seungmin’s grasp. his gaze was focused, lip jutting out ever so slightly. seungmin felt his heart’s fluttering turn into something resembling a pounding. 

“ah! its on the inside of the order paper, silly.” hyunjin continued to unwrap the brown wapping from the drink that revealed a scribbled ‘happy holidays’ in the same handwriting as the ‘hyunjin” on the barista’s name tag. the message was framed with snowflakes. oh, god, he IS that cute. seungmin couldn’t suppress the chuckle that escaped past his lips. 

“that’s so cute!” the chuckle became full blown laughter. Regaining his composure, the younger looked back to hyunjin’s gaze. the older seemed so focused on the younger, his expression morphed into a smile. 

maybe seungmin’s days, or world, wouldn’t be so hot or cold. everything felt just right with hyunjin.

**Author's Note:**

> THANKS FOR MAKING IT TO THE END OF THIS MESS AHHH H


End file.
